U.S. Army airborne infantry training before and after World War II

Location:
Europe Date:1944Duration:2 min 6 secSound:Yes

U.S. Airborne forces in World War 2. U.S. Army Air Forces C-47 aircraft, painted in invasion stripes, take off as darkness falls, on June 5, 1944 (night before D-Day) and assemble in large formation headed toward France. Airborne troops seated inside cabin of a C-47. Some smoke cigarettes. One has "Rocky" stenciled on his helmet. One smokes a cigar. An officer stands in doorway of plane and then jumps, followed by his "stick" of troopers. View from ground of parachutes filling the sky overhead. Momentary view of troopers on the ground in Normandy. German troops, taken prisoners of war, marching in a town under guard, with their hands on their heads. Scene changes to post war training of U.S. Army airborne troops. They are seen practicing how to hit the ground. They practice use of static lines in wooden mockups of aircraft; and jump from towers, and engage in actual airborne exercises, at Fort Benning, Georgia. View of war materiel being airdropped from rear of an aircraft. Special parachutes being used to drop jeeps and artillery pieces.